AbirIzzyJahan - Al-Rifai Mosque

Al-Rifai Mosque (The Royal Mosque) by Jahan Rifai

An outside view of Al Rifai Mosque

Location: Cairo, Egypt.
Date: 1896-1912
Location: Cairo, Egypt, Midan al-Qal'a.
Date: 1896-1912
Centuries: 19th & 20th
Period: Mamluk Dynasty (Bahri)
Style: European

The Mamluk Dynasty:
The Mamluk Dynasty was the slave dynasty of Egypt (was formed by upper-class white slaves.), which ruled the country as an independant state from 1250 to 1517 and as a branch of the Ottoman Empire till 1811. This dynasty gained power because of its strength and organization that was, at its time, the best in Egypt. There were two dynasties throughout the Mamluk period, Bahri and Burji (Al Rifai Mosque's was during the Bahri dynasty) and these dynasties got their names from the places where the troops that grasped power were stationed. The Mamluk dynasty was a great period of time when several miraculous monuments were formed, including Al Rifai Mosque.

Introduction:
Al Rifai Mosque is located beside to The Citadel, and opposite of the Madrassa of Sultan Hassan. The mosque also, looks onto open squares and straight boulevards, two features of the European city planning established during the time of Mohammed Ali and his successors. This mosque represents a turning point in the cultural, as well as political, history of Egypt. Additionally, the mosque contains 3 shrines and is also is the resting place for many members of the Egyptian royal family.

About the Mosque:

It was built over two periods of time, between 1896 & 1912.
It was originally started by Khushyar Hanim (mother of Khedive Ismail Pasha).
It was built in order to replace & expand the shrine (Zawiya) of of the Islamic saint Ahmad al-Rifai. (locals would visit the shrine, believing it had mystical powes of healing.)
Khushyar had wanted the mosque to serve the purpose of being both a house for Sufi relics and a mausoleum for Egypt's royal family.
Its original architect was Husayn Fahmi Pasha al-Mi'mar, who died in the first half of constrcution.
After the resigning of Khedive Ismail Pasha (1880) the work was stopped.
In 1905, Khedive Abbas Hilmi II ordered the resumption of the construction.
The second (and last) architect to work on the construction of the mosque was the Austrian architect Max Herz.
The mosque now contains the shrines of Ahmed al-Rifai, Ali Abi-Shubbak & Yahya al-Ansari, it is also the resting place of Khushyar Hanim and Khedive Ismail Pasha, along with many members of the Egyptian royal family (including King Farouk.), the mosque was also temperarily a resting plce for Reza Shah of Iran, but he was returned to Iran in WW2.

Architercutral:
The Mosque is an architectural appearance of the Royal Family's basis of national symbols. It's association with the Mamluk Dynasty is shown by its texture, color, and details. The monument is 1767 square meters. It is flanked by four massive columns on which the pointed arches which divide the mosque into three porticoes stand. Al Rifai Mosque marked a new time in the history of Egyptian architecture (because it was the first major structure designed with a Mamluk style) it was also an important statement that showed Egypt's rejection of the foreign architectural designs.

Parts of the Mosque:
Al Rifai mosque includes these parts:
-Minaret: Used to call prayer
-Mihrab: A niche in the mosque which points to the direction of Mecca.
- Qibla Wall: A wall in the mosque that faces Mecca.
-Ablution Fountain: Where Muslims perform a ritual washing before prayer.
-Courtyard: Gathering place outside the mosque.
-Minbar: A stand (pulpit) in the mosque where the Imam (leader of prayer) stands to deliver seminars.